Monday, January 29

In late March, a new Rim Country Museum exhibit described by museum director Sharesse Von Strauss as 'phenomenal" will begin paying homage to one of the area's most notable historic landmarks: Roosevelt Dam.

I was in the Safeway parking lot, and I saw a woman with her child slightly hit by a truck. Yes, there was some snow, but I was under the impression that pedestrians in parking lots have the right of way.

Dog owners deserve a piece of the park pie

Amber has been driving me crazy with her begging lately. Not for a bite of my steak at dinnertime, though she does that, too. No, this is different. It started when we visited a new doggie park in Scottsdale with my daughter-in-law, granddaughters, and their dog, Buddy.

... Some time ago, the city of Los Angeles wanted to save water, so it exchanged low-use toilets, ones that use 1.5 gallons per flush, for (its citizens') five-gallon per-flush toilets. (That's) a savings of more than three gallons (per flush).

Why is it that we Americans always wait until there is a crisis before we do anything about it? I'm referring to California's energy woes. Is this the result of deregulation or don't the energy gurus have the foresight to see the impact on energy by continuous growth?

The other day, directly after pulling into the Bashas' parking lot, there was a fellow standing in the middle of the lane, staring into space, lost in some daydream or nostalgic memory or temporary coma.

Accountants offer advice to help you get ready

The mayor abstained, and two owners of one lot voted twice one "yes" and one "no" but when the votes were all counted Monday at Town Hall, residents of the eastern half of Alpine Heights overwhelmingly rejected a proposed local improvement district by an 81-37 margin.

Fran and Ron have been helping others since they moved to the Rim country seven years ago, and now, thanks to the Town of Payson's Housing Rehabilitation Program, they have received some timely assistance themselves.

A conditional use permit for a new retail gasoline station at the intersection of Highway 260 and Goodnow Road in the parking lot of the Ponderosa Shopping Center was reluctantly approved Monday by the Town of Payson Planning and Zoning Commission.

Saturday, January 27

Tinseltown comes to Rim country

What with the national economy trending downward, and with the Rim country's economy being a magnified reflection of that same national economy, what we need to avoid bread and soup lines are some new ways to generate revenue.

Youth Tumbling

Due to high demand, we've added a second session for the youth tumbling program. The additional class will meet from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb. 12 to March 7. Participants must be in grades K to 6. The fee is $15 per child, and class size is limited to the first 40 participants to sign-up. This class fills quickly, so sign up now.

P-S clubs call for new members

If you need something to do, want to meet some new friends or you just want to get involved in the community, there's plenty of activities in Pine and Strawberry. All of these groups and organizations are actively looking for new members.

I have read all of the articles in the Roundup and have sat through a presentation on the modified school year proposal. After considering the aspects of all the arguments and concerns that were presented, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for us to give our teachers the opportunity to improve the learning process. Keeping the children and teachers focused on developing educational skills by eliminating some of the classroom down time is a very positive thing.

I am grateful that inauguration day went as smoothly as it did. It was degrading enough to witness people of the United States behaving as spoiled brats, throwing tomatoes, eggs, etc. at President Bush's motorcade. And yet, only a few hours before the outgoing president a man who perjured himself and was not entirely truthful to the people of the United States, gets pardoned of any wrongdoings and then pardons so many others like him.

Star Valley businessman Roy George Haught, who was convicted in 1999 of negligent homicide and aggravated assault, heads back to court next month to find out if he'll be sent to prison or granted a new trial.

A 69-49 loss to Snowflake Tuesday evening in Wilson Dome extended the Longhorn boys basketball team's East region losing skid to six games. The Lobos' 20-point victory margin, however, is not indicative of how hotly contested the game was.

Safeway manager to transfer to Fountain Hills

Monday, January 22

Since 1977, I have watched Payson's Scouting program grow by leaps and bounds. Those who have been involved in Scouting, either as youths or as adults, know that it can provide a wonderful sense of belonging and accomplishment.

Parents can learn about a proposed school calendar change and tell Payson educators what they think about the plan which would add two mid-session recesses and shorten the summer vacation to nine weeks tonight (Tuesday) during the first of six public information meetings.

Payson attorney Arthur Lloyd filed a motion Jan. 11 to throw out the negligent homicide and aggravated assault convictions against his client Roy George Haught of Star Valley, claiming that newly discovered facts warrant a new trial.

As you can imagine, the first of the year is a busy time for the fitness industry. New Year's resolutions bring many new converts into the world of health, and fitness. And every year, those of us who write about these things like to take the opportunity to tell people why living healthy throughout the year should be at the top of their resolution list.

Payson's 2001 Focused Future Plan a document that represents a consensus among town, business and community leaders on how to proceed with the promotion of economic development tops the agenda for the Payson Town Council meeting tonight (Tuesday) at 6 at Town Hall.

The Jan. 16 issue of the Roundup had a front-page article by Mike Burkett, entitled "Affordable housing project on the move." The developer, Steve Iverson and the project's real estate broker Ray Pugel, left out one big important item: what is the Gila County property tax going to be on each home? Property owners in Gila County know that taxes are rocketing upward. The past tax bills show this.

My wife and I are small-business people here in Payson. Our business is residential rentals. We invested here because the people are very friendly and warm and kind, (and) the climate is mostly very pleasant. Payson is movie-quality a nice place to say (you're from).

I would like to comment about the affair in Florida, i.e. the failure to count the military overseas votes in November. I just completed reading a three-volume biography by Bruce Catton about General U.S. Grant.

Thursday, January 18

Youth Tumbling

A few openings are available for the youth tumbling program, held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays, Feb. 12 through March 7. Participants must be in grades K to 6. The fee is $15 per child, and class size is limited to the first 40 participants to sign up. This class fills quickly, so sign up now.

Competing for the first time as a team, newlyweds Clifford and Alicia Pirch fished their way to a first-place finish at the AllStar Bass Couples tournament contested Saturday at Apache Lake. For the win, the Pirches pocketed $2,405 in prize money.

Kelly and Cindy Owens provided Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Mike Strohmeyer with valued assistance at a collision that occurred on Christmas day at mile post 225 on the Beeline Highway near Slate Creek.

"In our society, we don't talk about grief," says Allyson Danielson. "People tend to act as if the death didn't occur. No one has been taught how to process the grief."
But that's where Danielson and Jo Sanders can help.

Every day, guides lead groups of tourists on a strenuous trek deep into the dense forests of Uganda. People trudge through thick, barbed vegetation for three hours for the chance to get a glimpse of the rare and elusive mountain gorilla.

Highland looks for fourth win

Payson High School home of Arizona's No. 1 ranked Class 3A wrestling squad is set to host several of the state's elite 5A "big school" teams this weekend at the Tim Van Horn Memorial Wrestling Tournament.

Re Richard Wentz's "God save the 'king' and his subjects," I spent an unwarranted amount of time reading, and rereading this parable. I was trying to understand what Mr. Wentz had so cleverly hidden in his dense puzzle. Finally I broke the code and decided he was referring to President Harry Truman.

A tip of the cap ... hat ... whatever

Rim country resident Randy Roberson hopes to leave for El Salvador in the next few days to coordinate a $1.3-million shipment of medical supplies and equipment for the victims of the earthquake that struck that country last week.

County to consider park addition

The Gila County Board of Supervisors will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23 at the courthouse in Globe to consider a request to rezone the Creekview RV Park in Christopher Creek to allow the addition of two mobile home spaces.

The on-going realignment of the 3A conference won't be finalized until a Feb. 23 meeting of state high school athletic directors. As it appears now, the East region will include just six teams Snowflake, Show Low, Blue Ridge, Round Valley, Alchesay and Payson.

Monday, January 15

With only two East contests remaining on the 2001 agenda tomorrow (Wednesday) in Wilson Dome against Holbrook and Jan. 24 in Snowflake the state top-ranked Payson Longhorns are on the verge of nailing down the school's 23rd regional wrestling championship.

Electircally speaking, everything's up to date at Payson Airport where a new, state-of-the-art beacon was installed Monday, along with a massive generator capable of providing the airport with all of its electricity needs in the event of a power outtage.

A bus carrying 40 Payson High School students and seven chaperones slid off the snow-packed Beeline Highway north of Strawberry Monday while the group was returning from a three-day ski trip to Durango, Colo. The driver was able to maneuver the bus back on the road, and stopped in Strawberry to put snow chains on the vehicle.

The Northern Gila County Genealogical Society took an important step toward achieving a permanent home Monday when the Payson Planning and Zoning Commission granted the nonprofit corporation a conditional use permit to build a new facility on the southwest corner of Colcord Road and Bonita Drive.

It's all systems go for a planned 91-lot affordable housing project in Star Valley, where the developers are "shooting for prices under $90,000," according to the real estate broker in charge of sales.

Snowy weather in the Rim country Friday and Saturday forced rescheduling of several prep basketball clashes. Among those were Payson High boys and girls basketball games against Round Valley Friday evening and Saturday against Show Low. The weekend games were to be contested in Wilson Dome. Due to hazardous road conditions, a mutual agreement to postpone was made between officials in Payson, Show Low and Round Valley.

I would like to express my thanks to the community for allowing me to serve in the capacity of school board member for the Payson Unified School District. I found it an honor and a pleasure to serve the community in this capacity. The experience proved invaluable in the learning it provided me as a community member and parent of children attending our public school system.

The Payson Town Council voted unanimously to add handicapped seating to the Payson Event Center to bring that facility into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act at its meeting Thursday evening at Town Hall.

The Arizona Supreme Court sent the case of Roy George Haught back to the local superior court last week, when it passed on the motion for reconsideration filed last winter by the Gila County Attorney's Office.

Stephen Edward Tatro signed the extradition papers Tuesday that will allow authorities to return him to Texas where he will stand trial for the December 1997 murder of his business partner, Daniel Duran.

When the Payson Town Council voted Thursday night to expand the Building Advisory Board from five to seven members and to increase that body's responsibilities to include reviewing and making recommendations for revising development codes, it began addressing an issue that has been festering among the development community for some time.

Monday, January 8

Club keeps car lovers young at heart

"We have three questions before we allow you into our organization," said Larry Bertram, president of the Rim Country Classic Auto Club. "Do you like cars? Do you like people? Do you have $15 to pay the annual dues?

The passage of Proposition 301 by Arizona voters last November is supposed to bail out the state's faltering education system by providing an extra $445 million for teachers' salaries, building repairs, school maintenance and a host of other programs and initiatives and the moment of truth is close at hand.

School athletic career began in kindergarten

Over the years, Reanna Martinez has made a name for herself among Rim country sports figures as a stellar athlete, and as a senior, she now has at least two major colleges offering her full-ride scholarships.

I once had a small car that would only run properly when it was being driven every day. If I left it in the garage over the weekend, it would be difficult to start Monday morning and would run sluggish until it hit the open road. It seemed as though the car just loved to do what it was made for.

After two administrations of the high school AIMS test, we are now aware that student achievement levels are not where we would like them to be. While the results are disappointing, they also provide us with invaluable information about the need to strengthen curriculum and instruction in our schools.

The further I read into the "Horizons" column of Jan. 5, the angrier I became. Professor Wentz certainly reflects Webster's definition No. four of an academic: "Learned or scholarly but lacking in worldliness, common sense, or practicality."

A new year is a time of contemplation and rethinking lives and deciding what we wish to accomplish for the future. It is a time of looking back over the last year and asking ourselves what we can do to improve our lives and the lives of our families.

Emma Naomi McKnight Boyle, 101, of Payson, Ariz., died Jan. 4, 2001. She was born Sept. 4, 1899, in Enid, Okla. When she was 5 years old, she and her family traveled from Colorado to Oklahoma in a covered wagon.

People crowded into the Payson School Board meeting room Monday and lined up on the sidewalk outside the door to find out how the board plans to change the school calendar and trim the budget for the 2001-2002 school year.

"When you're riding a horse at full gallop, carrying the U.S. mail, you feel like you've been transported back in time," says Valley resident Dave Alford, trail boss for the 43rd annual Hashknife Pony Express run.

Fear fuels mother's controlling behavior

Recently, I was asked to write an article on "learning to let go" by a reader whose mother has a tendency to be in a continual state of panic, worrying about her adult childrens' lives. I thought this would be a good topic for the beginning of the new year.

Saturday, January 6

Rim country: The place with less stuff

I've never been big on New Year's resolutions. But now that the last bowl game has been played and the holiday decorations packed away, I'm left with the nagging thought that it's all become too complicated to enjoy.

Fire investigators determined Thursday that an electrical malfunction started the fire Monday that destroyed Realtor Jim Young's garage, sent him to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and caused an estimated $250,000 in damages.

7/8 Grade Basketball

Registration for 7th- and 8th-grade basketball will be held Jan. 8 to 19. Entry fee is $20 per child. The fee includes a T-shirt and a team pizza party. Games will be played on Saturdays and some weeknights beginning in mid-February and ending by March 31.

Groundbreaking ceremony set for new library building

Editor's note: The Roundup is pleased to introduce the following monthly column on library and Library Friends happenings. Shelf Life, written by Library Friends of Payson member Carol Zebb, will appear in the Roundup the first Friday of every month, and will feature a list of the Payson Public Library's top-10 new book releases selected by the library's director, Terry Morris.

Syringes and illicit drugs were found in the truck that Mark P. Murro III of Chandler was driving Dec. 13 when he crossed the center line on Highway 260 and collided with a snow plow, a Department of Public Safety officer said Thursday.

With decision time just two months away, the Payson Unified School District is in the process of taking a careful look at possible ways to address a projected budget shortfall with minimal impact on students.

Wrestling is a grueling sport that tests the physical agility of its competitors. The rewards of the sport come at the end of a season, when the athlete can look back on his accomplishment and say, "I did it. I'm a champion."

The mail call of Dec. 22 under "Payson businesses lacking Christmas spirit" mentioned gasoline prices in Payson. According to the business section of the Santa Barbara News Press of Sunday Oct. 15 of this year, the primary reason, as energy companies control the market, is "red lining" or "zone pricing."

A modified school calendar that would essentially put students in the classroom year-round is up for consideration by the Payson Unified School District board of education at its meeting 5:30 p.m., Jan. 8. at the district office.

On Monday, January 8, the Payson Unified School District board of education will meet to discuss a proposed year-round school calendar. If adopted, the summer break would be shortened by about a month, and additional two-week breaks would be added during the year. The total number of school days would remain the same, at 178.

Going through the issues of the Roundup that had accumulated while I was away from Payson for a number of weeks, I came across the letter from one Robert Ware stating that he took umbrage at my letter concerning what I called our local "growth-at-any-cost gang."

After watching its East region record fall to 2-3 with back-to-back losses to Blue Ridge (57-34) and Snowflake (93-38), the Longhorn boys basketball's listing ship righted itself at the Yvonne Johnson Memorial Tournament.

The Payson High School varsity girls basketball team hosted the Payson Invitational Tournament Thursday and Friday. The Horns had a 2-2 tournament record, losing their last game 62-60 in the final seconds despite having a substantial lead throughout.